The Los Angeles Lakers have added longtime collegiate coach Tony Bennett to their front-office staff as a draft advisor, marking one of the first external hires under new majority owner Mark Walter.
Bennett, who led the University of Virginia from 2009 to 2024, is expected to assist head coach JJ Redick and the basketball operations group in identifying prospects ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. Speaking with reporters on February 27, Redick said he is eager to tap into Bennett’s experience.
“I’m very excited about Tony and getting to work with him. It’s one additional basketball resource, and I’m very excited to see us build out all our resources over the next four to six months,” Redick told Benjamin Royer of the Southern California News Group.
College résumé comes to NBA front office
During his 15-year tenure at Virginia, Bennett captured six ACC championships, reached the Sweet 16 or beyond three times and won the 2019 national title. Between Virginia and his earlier stint at Washington State, he helped develop future NBA players such as Klay Thompson, DeAndre Hunter, Malcolm Brogdon and Trey Murphy III.
Scouting overhaul underway
The hiring follows the Lakers’ recent decision to part ways with most of their previous scouting department. Walter, team governor Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka are overseeing a full rebuild of the talent-evaluation staff, aiming to have the new group in place before the draft in June.
Ticket prices rise amid front-office moves
Separately, president of business operations Lon Rosen confirmed a hike in season-ticket prices, attributing the increase to strong demand and elevated resale values for single-game seats.
The Lakers now have several months to round out their scouting arm while Bennett begins evaluating potential additions to the roster’s youthful core.
Source: Lakers Nation
